Study Purpose:

To test the hypothesis that presurgical distress would be lower in a group that received hypnosis compared to an attentional control group

Intervention Characteristics/Basic Study Process:

On the day of surgery, participants completed data collection instruments prior to study interventions and 15 minutes postintervention. Both the hypnosis and control interventions were standardized to last for 15 minutes. The hypnosis intervention included debunking common misconceptions, giving the patient an opportunity to ask questions, and presentation of a scripted relaxation-based induction, guided imagery, deepening, and surgery-specific suggestions for decreasing pain, nausea, and distress. Patients in the control group spent an equal amount of time with study personnel in sessions of empathic listening and supportive remarks from study personnel. All personnel providing interventions were clinical psychologists with advanced training in use of hypnosis in the medical setting.

Sample Characteristics:

The study reported on a sample of 90 female patients.

Mean patient age was 45.7 years (range = 19–77).

All patients were scheduled for excisional biopsy. Almost all patients did not have previous breast cancer; 22.2% had previous excisional biopsy.

Of the sample, 64% were Caucasian, and 68.7% had a college or graduate degree.

Conclusions:

Limitations:

The study had a small sample, with less than 100 participants.

Nursing Implications:

Hypnosis can be an effective intervention to reduce distress prior to breast biopsy. Additional research to determine longer-term effects on post-biopsy patient symptoms is warranted. This intervention was accomplished in 15 minutes, suggesting that hypnosis can be a practical intervention in the clinical setting. This type of intervention does require specific expertise.